Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross, former Jets Exec VP/Business Operations Matt Higgins, former NFL VP/Partnerships, Marketing & Sales CEO Peter Murray and Genesco Sports Enterprises co-Founder & CEO John Tatum are "combining to form Insignia Sports & Entertainment," according to Terry Lefton in this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Each of the four "will have equity in the new venture." Former HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg is "also involved in the operation, which has an emphasis on content creation and distribution, but Greenburg's role was unclear." Murray will serve as CEO and "hopes to hire as many as a dozen people by year's end." Agency capabilities include "brand consulting, property and athlete representation, and technology ventures." Since leaving the Jets in January, Higgins has been working for Ross' Related Cos., launching RSE Ventures, which "plans to develop sports-related companies." Higgins described Insignia as a "supporting company" for RSE Ventures, and it will "serve the same function for Tatum's Genesco agency, with both executive partners in the new firm." Technology and content creation "are two of the nascent agency's larger missions." Some early examples are "relaunching FanVision into a leading technology that will be a de facto standard across all venues." Another project is "a plan by Ross to "turn South Florida in general -- and the Dolphins’ Sun Life Stadium in particular -- into the home for Central and South American soccer in the United States, something that would make a valuable Hispanic marketing platform." Ross said that he also soon will "announce plans for three or four matches in Miami from top-name international teams" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/30 issue).
